Sign of the Apocalypse, Part 1

A Dunkin' Donuts ad featuring Rachael Ray wearing a scarf that looks like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men, has been yanked. "The keffiyeh has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad," said conservative Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, fueling the controversy.

I would have yanked the ad for featuring Rachael Ray, never mind the headdress. But I digress.

My old partner, the very talented Jim Furrh, used to say wardrobe on a shoot should never call attention to itself.

Once again, Jim's wisdom is borne out.

Obama, The Brand

I met Barack Obama the other night. Shook hands with him is about all, really.

Am I relating this to shine some celebrity politician glory upon myself?

Possibly.

But it's also to reflect upon a notion I've been thinking about since Creativity Magazine came out with their awards issue. In which they gave plaudits to the iPhone, the Halo 3 campaign, etc.

I think they're completely missing the biggest branding story of the last year.

And that's Barack Obama.

A brand that' s been built basically from scratch to be, in the space of 12 months, a defined, unique, differentiated, category-leading brand.

Like him or not, it's an amazing campaign.